How old should a child be before you let them lock the bathroom door?

Question

How old should a child be before you let them lock the bathroom door?

Answer 1

18, until then you  never know what they are doing or getting into.  while you should respect them and the door being closed...they should know that it is your house and you have the right to check on them at any time (no matter their age).

Answer 2

At first this seemed like an odd question to me, but then I thought about the 3 little ones I have who are 5, 3 and 1. Althought they have never asked to lock the door. I think that age 5 is a perfectly acceptable age. My 5 year old understands what locking a door means and that it isnt a toy to play around with and lock people out. My 3 year old on the other hand might get him self locked in. So I think 5 is a good age, maybe even 4 if your 4 year old has the comptence to understand. Everyone deserves privacy and there comes a time where children start to get embarressed to go to the bathroom with the door open/unlocked.

Answer 3

i would say 10 why would he need to lock the door if you know he's in there just don't go in..lol usually it's about at that age they want their privacy..

good luck  

Answer 4

7

Answer 5

I agree w/the other posters here - your kid can get hurt slipping in the tub.

Funny addition: My 30 yr old husband locks the door to shower.  Last month, I hear the worst BOOM I've ever heard.  The man slipped on the floor of our (what, 10-15 sq ft) bathroom.  Thankfully, he wasn't seriously injured, but it took me some time to fish out the screwdriver necessary to pop the lock to the bathroom and help him out...

I guess no matter your age, you shouldn't lock the door - teach everyone to KNOCK FIRST! :)

Answer 6

It is my belief that not age but maturity determines questions like this. Is the child trustable? Will he or she abuse this privilege? Has he or she done anything in the past to demonstrate reason for responsibilities such as this? Those are all factors to take into account. Good luck!

Answer 7

I don't think children should ever lock the bathroom door, what if something happened and the parents couldn't get to them? But I think that once the child reaches a certain age (13 or so) the rest of the household should have the courtesy to stay out of the bathroom while they are in there.

Answer 8

probably never, unless you have company because once you think they are old enough you got a whole nother bathroom habit to worry about!

Answer 9

It depends on the child and the bathroom.  If your kids have their own bathroom, where there is nothing in it they can get in to & if you can trust them to get themselves back out, then whenever they are ready.

Think of it this way, if they are in school and they have to go potty. They go by themselves, right? So if they are school age and their bathroom is safe, let them go in private.  

Answer 10

4 or 5. I cant believe some of you control freak parents who say 9 or 13. Just have a key in your room if they need help, jeez.

Answer 11

My son is 12 and I do not allow him to lock the bathroom door.

The only door he's allowed to lock is the house door when we are leaving or coming home from somewhere.

Answer 12

I don't think it's about age. When they feel the need for privacy they should be allowed to lock the door when they use the bathroom. I don't allow my kids to lock the door when they shower because we only have one bathroom and if my youngest has to go in a hurry I want him to be able to run in and go. Plus they have a bad habit of locking the door then calling for me to get them a towel that they forgot to grab first. But for using the toilet they should be able to lock it when they start feeling they want to.

Answer 13

Dont know i never had a lock on my bathroom door when i was growing up and i still dont today never thought about it

Answer 14

Well. I'm 15 and I only lock my door when someone else is in the house like my parent's friends or something. but other than that, my mom doesn't let me lock it, cuz if something happens, apparentley she wants to be able to reach me if god forbid I fall or something.

Answer 15

My kids are Teens 13,14 and 17...they STILL do not lock the bathroom door....it's never been an issue in our home. A closed door is considered a locked door here...Knock before entering.

Answer 16

When they feel the need for privacy.

Most bathroom door k***s have a hole in them that a special key will open from the the outside. It comes with the k**b. Mom and dad should know where it is in case of emergency.

I have been in homes with no door locks and there is always somebody who absent mindly comes barging in. At work there are stalls for privacy. It never fails that some dimwit will from time to time walk in an look over the door to see if you are inside.

Answer 17

Hmmmm.  Tricky.  I don't like the thought of the bathroom door being locked period.  I mean, even a teenager in the shower could possibly slip and really hurt themselves.  If they lock the door, it'll make things a bit more difficult to get in there and help.  Then again, if my child was in trouble, I'm sure I'd be able to break down the door.  I guess my point is, use your best judgment.  If you feel like your 7 year old is fine in the bathroom with the door locked, then so be it.  If you feel like it shouldn't be locked under the age of 13, that's fine too.  The rule in our house is that NO ONE locks the door.  You simply close it and everyone else in the house knows that common courtesy is to knock first, then wait for a response.  My children are still toddlers though.

Answer 18

There are no locked doors in my house.  

We all are very careful to respect each other.  We knock and wait for invitation before entering.  But no locked doors in my house.  (Other than of course the outside doors..  and as far as that is concerned...  its way easy to break through a window in case of emergency..  I cant tear down the wall between the hall and the kitchen easily or quickly.

Its not about privacy, its about what happens in case of an emergency, and the bath room is high risk for emergencies.

Answer 19

Our bathroom cabinet has a laundry chute in the floor right above our washer, so if they DO lock themselves in before they are able to unlock it I can get them. Until they're about 4 or 5 they'll probably need help wiping anyway, so they probably won't close the door.  

Answer 20

10 or 12 or 14 i don't know...that's a really difficult question.  We took the locks off of our door for fear that the children may get hurt.  You never know.  It's up to you.  If you feel  your child is mature enough go for it.

Answer 21

I still don't have my kids lock the bathroom door unless there are strangers in the house and they are 11 and 16.  If any door is closed, they were taught someone must be in there and they should knock first.